Over at Say Tian Hng Buddha Shop, where the main business is the handcrafting of Buddhist and Taoist deity statues, it has to compete with mass market, machine-made statues sold at cheaper prices. Instead of seeing it as a direct threat, the family has turned it into an opportunity, since the cheaper, mass-produced idols cannot be returned to the factories for any restoration works should they get damaged. Restoration works for such statues now make up about half of its business, while handcrafting commissioned work accounts for the other half. Mr Ng said that after the shop revamped its website about three years ago, it began receiving orders from overseas as well, as far as the United States, Europe and South America, from devotees or collectors who appreciate craftsmanship.  “It’s a small trickle, just a handful, but it’s still interesting and has potential” he said, adding that this would open up his business to a potential market “multiple fold” in size compared to its current core customers of households and temples in Singapore. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS …